According to DigiTimes in Taiwan: "Asustek's 8.9-inch second-generation Eee PC lineup will include touchscreen panels and possible GPS support, with shipments expected to begin in May or June, according to Kevin Lin, vice president of Asustek's sales department. Pricing is projected to reach NT$15,000 (US$500), Lin added."

The company aims to ship up to five million Eee PCs in 2008 through retail channels and contract orders combined, with quarterly retail-only shipments expected to total 650,000-700,000 units, according to the company. The device is seeing a 50% supply shortage in the Taiwan and Hong Kong regions and 70% worldwide in the first quarter of 2008.

Another DigiTimes story says Asustek aims to ship seven million notebook PCs in 2008. However, this will include "3.5-3.7 million units in China and around one million units in Taiwan". That leaves about 50,000 a week for the rest of the world, and some of those will be "entertainment notebooks" with big screens.

For comparison, Dell is shipping about 800,000 PCs a week (including desktops and servers), and 15-inch Dell laptops now start at prices similar to the 7-inch Eee PC.